Edith Murray

Serial Killer

Edith Murray: The Suspected Cleveland Black Widow

A Mysterious Trail of Death and Insurance

Edith Murray was an American woman suspected of poisoning as many as three husbands and causing the deaths of two of her children during a period extending from 1903 to 1921. Often referred to as the "Cleveland Black Widow," Murray was never convicted of murder, and the surviving evidence did not conclusively establish that she intentionally killed anyone. Nevertheless, the repeated deaths of people close to her, the insurance policies associated with several of those deaths, and the discovery of arsenic in her final husband's remains caused investigators to examine her life closely. Much of Murray's early history remains uncertain. Even the names and precise death dates of several alleged victims were not preserved in readily available public records. Contemporary investigators reportedly connected her to suspicious deaths in both Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio. Her case became especially troubling because apparently healthy husbands seemed to die soon after insurance coverage was obtained, while Murray was repeatedly described as being unusually interested in the money that could be collected after a death.

The Deaths of Her Two Daughters

The first known tragedy associated with Murray occurred in Pittsburgh in 1903. At the time, she was living with her first husband and their two young daughters. Both children reportedly died after consuming poisonous tablets that had been left unsecured inside the home. Authorities treated the deaths as an accident, and Murray was not accused or arrested. The names of the two girls and their exact dates of death have not been reliably established in available accounts. Their deaths later received renewed attention because of the additional fatalities that followed Murray throughout her adult life. Investigators looking back at the 1903 incident questioned whether the children had truly taken the tablets accidentally, but no physical evidence was available to prove otherwise. Murray divorced her first husband sometime after the deaths. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)
Suspected Victims:

John Joseph Murray , Date of Death: 1922

Two Daughters , Date of Death: 1903

Third Husband , Date of Death: 1919

Fourth Husband , Date of Death: 1919-05

Edith's Serial Killer Suspicion